Willie Nelson - American Classic

American Classic, a title befitting the artist himself, finds Willie Nelson returning to the Great American Songbook in a sequel to his best-selling crossover album 1978’s Stardust. This return may be influenced by his recent outstanding work of jazz and blues standards with Wynton Marsalis. Here, producer Tommy LiPuma gathered pianist Joe Sample, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Lewis Nash to accompany Nelson, whose cohort Mickey Raphael shows up playing harmonica on a few tracks.

Opening with Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You,” Nelson is enveloped in a smooth string arrangement as he offers gentle proclamations of love. While the sentiment is the same, the Hammond organ on Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to the Moon” is a fantastic addition.

On Arlen & Mercer’s “Come Rain or Come Shine” the band evokes the options as Sample’s piano creates bright notes while Nash’s brushwork evokes the rain. McBride’s bass keeps a smooth rhythm as the whole piece gliding along. Much like when Fats Waller sang “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” Willie’s rendition brings a slight smile because how can anyone believe the rascal would be on good behavior. The Hammond briefly returns on the song's bridge. On Hammerstein & Wilkinson’s “Because of You” a saxophone joins into the mix.

The album features duets with two of the biggest female jazz vocalists. Diana Krall’s silk, sultry voice is so bewitching on “If I Had You” all she needs to do is ask and the man will be there. On the bridge an electric guitar solos and then the piano follows in the same pattern. As much as I love her voice, Norah Jones on “Baby, It's Cold Outside” doesn’t entirely work because of the age difference, similar to the problem with Woody Allen romancing young leading ladies in his later movies. There’s even a brief moment of creepiness as Nelson keeps trying to get Jones to stay against her wishes, plying her with drink which causes her to wonder, “Say, what's in this drink.” While it makes perfect sense to include the women from a marketing standpoint, their talents as singers are so impressive they make Willie seem like some guy pulled off the street.

Willie revisits two of his own songs: “Angel Eyes” from the 1984 album of the same name and his classic “Always On My Mind,” the latter of which I think works better with the standards arrangement its given here, fully aware I may be committing country-music sacrilege.

While American Classic probably won’t match the success of Stardust, it is a very pleasant album of love songs that finds Nelson doing his part to keep the past alive and reminding how relevant it still remains.

Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis: Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC

Following in the tradition of genre-blending summits that paired Jimmie Rodgers and Louis Armstrong, and Bob Wills and Charlie Parker, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis played two nights of the blues at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room against the backdrop of the city at night. An album of the music was released in July 2008 to rave reviews.

Nelson and Marsalis had previously played together at the Apollo Theatre in 2003 on a star-studded bill devoted to an evening of the blues that included B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Eric Clapton, and wanted to work together again. The DVD captures the visuals of those two evenings as the duo is backed by the talented band comprised of Nelson’s harmonica player Mickey Raphael, pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Ali Jackson, and saxophonist Walter Blanding.

The DVD is augmented with interviews of Marsalis and Nelson, who talk about their mutual respect and admiration for their talents, the blues, and the importance of New York to a musician. Minor bits of rehearsal footage are also included. It is fantastic to see the process, and I would have loved more of it. Considering the DVD runs 84 minutes, there was certainly plenty of room.

The track listing is in a different order from the CD for no explained reason and the DVD features three extra performances. Duke Ellington and Bob Russell’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” would make the creators proud because it’s given a swingin’ performance. Nelson, Raphael, and Marsalis each get some solo time on the bridge backed by the rhythm section.

Jackson shows off his skills on the skins during the opening of “Sweet Georgia Brown.” The song is unrecognizable from the legendary rendition by Brother Bones & His Shadows, which is the theme of The Harlem Globetrotters. However, the band shows an affinity for music equal to the Globetrotters talents with a basketball. After the first verse and chorus, Henriquez’ stand-up bass takes center stage. Marsalis and then Blanding each get a shot to cut loose and let their horns sing out. Nelson jumps in to remind the fellas music ain’t just a young man’s game. Nimmer comes up swiftly behind, tickling the ivories at a quick pace.

The evening closes with the gospel-blues “Down By The Riverside,” a raucous version that concludes with the band leaving the stage and playing on the floor right in front of the audience as Nelson’s bus drives off into the evening, headed for the next show.

The audio is available in Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Surround 5.1, and DTS Digital Surround Sound. The surround mixes put the viewer right in the middle of the proceedings, although “listener” might be the better word because as much as I am head over heels about these performances, the visuals are terribly put together and I am much more likely to play the DVD with the monitor off.

The biggest travesty is the editing, which is ghastly, cutting much too quick and drawing attention to itself. Just because a cut can be made doesn’t mean it should be. I don’t need shots of the city, which every consumer of media has seen countless times, interspersed throughout. I had hoped it was just the tempo of the opening number, “Rainy Day Blues,” that inspired the choices of director Danny Clinch and editor Paul Greenhouse, but the following song, the slow ballad “Georgia On My Mind,” is given the same treatment. I want to see the musicians play and witness the magic they create, but not even one solo is presented in its entirety. Clinch has really done a disservice to the artists and the audience, but the music is still well worth hearing.

Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: Two Men With The Blues

Every other 2008 album released, from those already out to those awaiting a future Tuesday, are officially put on notice that Two Men With The Blues is in the running for the best of the year. Sure, it’s not an even playing field since it features Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, two of the greatest musicians in their field brought together by their shared love of blues and jazz standards, but no one said life was fair.

Over two nights in January 2007, Jazz at Lincoln Center presented an amazing evening of music entitled “Willie Nelson Sings the Blues.” Nelson brought along harmonica player Mickey Raphael to join Marsalis and his quartet: pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Ali Jackson, and saxophonist Walter Blanding. Those of us who were not lucky enough to get into The Allen Room can now bask in the magic.

The disc opens with Jimmy Reed’s “Bright Lights Big City,” a perfect choice for the former Abbott, Texas resident as he plays the Big City. Raphael and Marsalis trade solos, each capturing elements of the story. Marsalis explains, “Mickey is the sound of the train…and we’re like the car horns.” After they trade leads on the bridge, the sax takes a turn. Then the piano steps out from the rhythm section before coming around to Nelson’s guitar, bringing the story full circle.

Aside from blues and jazz standards, Nelson fans will recognize new takes on his songs. An outstanding rendition of “Night Life” shows that regardless of the fact it’s known as a country song, the lyrics reveal a blues song at its core. Marsalis’ trumpet rings out so sweetly in the intro, and then blows a powerful muted wail as Nelson suggests you “listen to the blues there playing.” The sax then comes in all silky and sultry. As Nelson plays the guitar on the bridge, the seamless blending with the rhythm section makes you wonder why he hasn’t always fronted a jazz band.

Nelson revisits a couple of Hoagy Carmichael numbers from his Stardust album, the title track and “Georgia On My Mind.” The tinkling piano, the brushes on the drums, and the restrained horns create a dreamy, moonlit rendition of “Stardust,” carrying the listener away on a cloud. On the bridge Marsalis comes to the forefront; his horn sounds so beautiful you want to grab your girl and dance the night away. On “Georgia,” Marsalis’ muted trumpet is very poignant, sounding like the narrator’s yearning to return back to his love.

In between these songs, we leave the big city to head south down the Mississippi to “take a trip/ to the land of dreams/floating down the river/ down to New Orleans” on “Basin Street Blues.” The harmonica and trumpet call and respond. After the rest the band completes the bridge, Willie asks, “Aren’t you glad you came with me?” to which the audience responds enthusiastically.

Clarenece Williams’ “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It” and Grainger Porter’s “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” find Marsalis contributing vocals. He’s portrays the bartender who turns away Nelson and his bucket in the former. The song is also notable because Jackson gets his first drum solo. In terms of the latter, Nelson opens this slow blues and he and Marsalis trade solos. As Marsalis sings Willie’s offers playful asides underneath. They close out the disc with a rousing version of Merle Travis’ “That’s All.” The background vocals and the clapping audience give it a gospel feel.

Thankfully, that’s not all for these two men as they are playing occasional dates across the country and in September the DVD of their concert at Lincoln Center will be released. Their version of “Down by The Riverside” is available as a bonus track on iTunes, which I have mixed feelings about. I am glad there's more material, but since the CD is less than 54 minutes, there was plenty of room to include it.

Trailer for the DVD:

Willie Nelson: One Hell of a Ride

That is certainly an apt description for the life of Willie Hugh Nelson, a country music icon of the last half of the twentieth century. Born in Fort Worth, he eventually made his way to Nashville. He initially got signed as a songwriter, creating hits for artists like Ray Price (“Night Life”), Faron Young (“Hello Walls”), and Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), all of which are included on this album sung by Willie. His success helped earn him a recording contract in 1962. He eventually landed at RCA Records and worked with Chet Atkins who produced him.

On Disc One, the early Willie is on display. It opens with a rarity and one of the first songs he ever recorded. “When I’ve Sang My Last Hillbilly Song” was laid to tape one night in late 1954/early ‘55 at a radio station Willie worked at. The rest of the songs are good and brought Willie moderate success, including “The Party’s Over,” which years later Don Meredith made the unofficial goodnight theme on ABC’s Monday Night Football. The ones that did chart averaged in the twenties on the Billboard Hot Country Singles; however, Atkins’ Nashville Sound made them generic. Willie sounded like everyone else at the time, and this confinement frustrated him.

The remainder of this review can be read at Blogcritics.